The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

Chapter 11

By the time Corvan woke up, the sun was directly over the house. His parents never let him sleep this late. Bees buzzed past his window, but the house below him was silent.

"Mom," he called out, "what's for lunch?" There was no answer. Had the lizard attacked while he slept? Leaping out of bed, he tugged on his pants, then moved cautiously down the stairs with the hammer held out before him.

The bed in his parents' room was not made, and a few of the dresser drawers hung askew. Corvan ran to the front door. The truck was gone. Retreating to the kitchen, he searched for a note. Nothing.

Kate called into the house from the back porch, and Corvan crossed his arms over his bony chest. He hated being seen without a shirt.

She shook her head in disgust as she was entering the kitchen. "Are you just getting up? Must be nice to sleep in half the day. My mom had me up at six to take the pies out to the station wagon." She placed her hands on her hips. "You should get a shirt on." She nodded to the laundry basket by the back door.

"Have you seen my parents this morning?" Corvan asked, grabbing a T-shirt.

"I saw them drive past our place earlier. They were headed out of town." She looked out the window as he pulled his shirt on. "So, what are you doing today?"

Corvan was relieved that his parents were okay. They must have needed something from the city, maybe a surprise for his birthday.

"I went out to the rock," Kate said. "What a mess! Our fort's ruined."

"Yeah, the storm flattened the fort."

"What's with the pile of rocks from the firepit? How did that happen?" Kate asked, looking intently at his face.

"That was me." Corvan looked out the back door to escape her steady gaze. "I was making a... monument. Like a pyramid."

Kate scowled. "When are you going to start telling people the truth instead of making up silly stories? If you don't want to say what you were doing just say, 'Kate, I don't want to talk about it.'"

Corvan shrugged. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just that I don't think anyone will believe me if I tell the truth. This one sounds crazier than any story I ever made up. I'm not sure I even believe it yet."

"Try me," Kate replied as she sat on top of the kitchen table.

His grandfather's note had said not to trust anyone, but this was Kate. Besides, she'd already seen the hammer.

Pulling the stone hammer from his back pocket, Corvan placed it on the table in front of her. "It's all connected to this."

Kate stared at it as if she were seeing the hammer for the first time. She touched the handle with one finger and then pulled her hand back. "You never did tell me where it came from."

"I thought my grandfather made it for me, but now I'm not sure. Last night, the hammer was stolen."

Kate hopped off the table. "Bill Fry took it?"

"No, it wasn't Bill. It was ..."

"Who?"

"Aw, forget it. I get enough mocking from the kids at school." Snatching up the hammer, he swept around her, pushed out the screen door, and slouched on the porch steps.

Kate followed and stood behind him. "You're talking about that lizard again, aren't you?"

Corvan checked to see if she was teasing, but her face was serious.

"I'm sorry if I made fun of you about that story," Kate said, sitting next to him. "It sounded a bit far-fetched, and besides, no one but you has seen it." She shrugged. "But I guess not seeing something doesn't mean you should doubt someone who says he has."